Arraez enjoying historic season at the plate
Daily updates on this story were paused on Aug. 2 with Luis Arraez batting .378 through 109 team games. Updates will resume if Arraez's average rises to at least .380.
Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez is chasing history in 2023.
Arraez, who became the first Marlin to hit for the cycle on April 11, has been flirting with a .400 average all season.
Hall of Famer Ted Williams was the last player in American League/National League history to hit .400, doing so in 1941 (.406).
The 26-year-old Arraez also could become the first player since 1900 to be the batting champion in the AL and NL in consecutive seasons. As a member of the Twins, Arraez captured the 2022 AL batting title with a .316 average. The Marlins then acquired him on Jan. 20 in a trade for right-hander Pablo L¨®pez.
Even without a .400 average, Arraez still has a chance to accomplish something that has not been done in quite some time.
Last qualified season with a BA of at least ...
.380: Tony Gwynn (Padres), 1994 (.394)
.375: Larry Walker (Rockies), 1999 (.379)
.370: Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners), 2004 (.372)
.360: Joe Mauer (Twins), 2009 (.365)^
.350: Josh Hamilton (Rangers), 2010 (.359)^
^Excludes results from shortened 2020 season
? Latest in-season .400 bids since Ted Williams
Highest batting average in team¡¯s first 108 games, since 1941 based on current qualification rules
1941 Ted Williams: .410
1993 John Olerud: .397
1997 Tony Gwynn: .391
2000 Nomar Garciaparra: .390
1957 Ted Williams: .389
1994 Tony Gwynn: .386
1977 Rod Carew: .384
1948 Ted Williams: .383
1997 Larry Walker: .383
2023 Luis Arraez: .381
1948 Stan Musial: .381
? Players since 1941 who had .400 within reach
Latest into a season (by team games) a player has hit .400+
Since Ted Williams in 1941
134 games -- George Brett (1980)
107 games -- John Olerud (1993)
96 games -- Larry Walker (1997)
92 games -- Tony Gwynn (1997)
91 games -- Nomar Garciaparra (2000)
Tony Gwynn's .394 is the highest average by a qualified hitter since Williams, but it came in a strike-shortened season (1994) and his average dropped below .400 for the final time on May 16, San Diego's 37th game.